every move we make can be heard in the condo below us!!!!!!!!!

13 years ago

This might not be what is typically discussed here but I need some advise! We just bought a condo in Fl and within 2 hours of being in it (with no furniture other than a blow up mattress!) the tenant downstairs came up to complain about us "running" back and forth! We actually were in soft shoes or barefoot! mostly on the lanai drinking wine :-). We did have a blow up mattress we inflated but other than that were not moving very fast!! We are 65 and 57 years old....not much for running through the house very often!!! :-)

The next day the furniture came and (about 10 pm) I did move the sofa about a foot and then realized it was crazy noisy so quit.....however, the downstairs tenant banged a broom on the ceiling!!! I quit immediately when I heard how loud it was!!!

The next morning (9:30am) we had the association president and the downstairs CONDO OWNER show up. The owner (owns 2 or 3 properties on this property) is also on the board; but he does not live there any longer. The downstairs tenant had called someone......She also turned us into the management company!!! The association president and the condo owner explained to us that when the buildings were constructed (with concrete and a space filled with fiberglass insulation) between the floors, it was thought this would give adequate noise proofing for those wanting to upgrade to tile. NOT QUITE SO!!!! They said the association is not making anyone remove the tile and put an additional sound-layer in there. It can be improved with rugs however they said.

When we arrived back home (1900 miles away) we found we have a nasty letter from the management company with a notice of a first violation and asking for a written response!!!! We were only there a week to get the place painted and furnished. I'm wondering what will happen when we actually have family with us?

How do we deal with this? Our plans were to rent it out for a few months each year!!!! This issue was not disclosed when we bought this property and I think if I have to tippy toe all the time it will ruin our retirement home to say nothing about rental opportunities!!!! The board and the management obviously know about the issues with sound issues between floors!!!

Do any of you have any suggestions???? Thank you very much!!!

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Roxanne
Original Author

13 years ago

The condo we purchased was owned by the bank. Our contact was the realtor and if he knew anything he didn't say at the time. I am reading up on spray insulation in the space above the ceiling downstairs! Many folks say that worked for them. I just CANNOT imagine tip-toeing my retirement away!!!

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Comments (8)

rhsmith719
13 years ago
Rugs will definitely help. However it sounds like the downstairs neighbor is LOOKING for trouble. I'd call your real estate attorney for advice. The neighbor might need to receive a letter from your attorney.
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Linda
13 years ago
I would ask for a written copy of the noise regulations and ask for specific definitions of excess noise. Try to get some absolute numbers from them, not just "too loud" or "reasonable" or "excessive" ...all terms meaning whatever someone wants them to mean at a given time. What decibel level is considered inappropriate? You will probably need to familiarize yourselves with methods of measuring noise levels.

You should not be punished by living over someone who is not being realistic. If that person needs absolute peace and quiet, they shouldn't be living in a condo complex. You have a right to use your space for normal daily life without undue interference from your neighbors.

My tenants at one house had a backyard party for their young daughter and the neighbor behind them called the cops. My business partner was there and talked to the cops who asked them to turn down the music. The cops said turn it down low enough the neighbor won't complain but he was able to convince the police that a single person shouldn't be allowed to dictate to an entire neighborhood what noise level was appropriate. My partner talked the police into setting the volume level so there was no further discussion because there was no way that particular neighbor would ever be happy with a Hispanic family celebration in the yard behind her house.
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Roxanne
Original Author
13 years ago
The owner of the condo said that at one time he too lived in this lower unit and that you could hear everything. It's the way the building was built. Is the issue questioning how the place was built? Can we go back on that? If many of the long term folks KNOW that noise is an issue for tenants under tile floors and nothing is said to potential buyers of the upper floors.....is that an issue? Should the association be liable for fixing the floor insulation issue??????
Roxanne
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the comments!!!
charleee
13 years ago
I'd go with very thick carpet and very thick pad and take all of the above advice. Sounds like a nightmare.
rhsmith719
13 years ago
All your questions are legitimate. You need to call your real estate attorney. Did the previous owner tell you about experience living in the lower unit prior to you closing?
Jayme H.
13 years ago
Definitely in your response letter I would reference what you were told in re: the construction of the building and noise issues. Obviously this is not your fault and u should not be expected to "tippy toe" for the rest of your lives. I would definitely look into remedies such as spray insulation and rugs if I planned to stay there. Good luck!!